Homophobic SNP councillor faces investigation

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A lesbian couple have complained to Scottish Borders Council about remarks made by a councillor about gay people.

Kenneth Gunn, a Scottish National Party councillor for Selkirk, said “so-called” gays as “really very sad people” and said that non-believers are “damned to hell” during a live BBC radio phone-in programme.

Now council employees and civil partners Barbara Harrison and Linda Jackson have made a complaint along with the Scottish Borders Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Forum.

An internal investigation will decide if he has breached the councillors’ code of conduct.

Ms Jackson, chair of the LGBT forum, told the Selkirk Weekend Advertiser:

“The homophobic nature of what was said by one of the councillors who represents us in Selkirkshire and makes decisions on our behalf was a real shocker.

“It is particularly galling when many people in the Borders are still scared to come out.”

Speaking live on Radio Scotland’s Morning Extra, Mr Gunn said:

“If somebody doesn’t believe in an almighty being and thinks man produced everything on earth then they are very arrogant people and, as I say, if they are non-believers they are damned to hell anyway.

“When we all went to church on a Sunday morning and prayed to Jesus Christ, this was a much better country. Look where it’s going now.

“We’ve got so-called gays, who are really very sad people, and we have non-believers and heathens running the country and running down Christianity.

“It seems it is an offence to run down Islam, but not an offence to run down Christianity.”

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